Cake Batter Protein Balls

this post is sponsored by orgain. thank you for supporting the partnerships that allow brewing happiness to grow and exist. xoxo.

I have a sweet tooth. A big one. I used to be terrified of my relationship with sugar. It felt addictive and scary, until I discovered intuitive eating. Now I let my body tell me when it’s time to indulge and usually I do it in a health-ier way. (Although, I did eat gummy worms in bed last night, ’cause balance?)

When I’m not eating gummy worms in bed 9 out of 10 times, I try to eat sweet things that have a small amount of refined sugar (if any) and I try to make them at home, that way I know exactly what I’m putting in my body. That’s why I threw together these indulgent little babies. They’re the perfect snack for your afternoon pick-me-up and they’re packed with only good things – coconut flakes, almond flour, Orgain Vanilla Organic Protein & Superfoods Powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, sea salt and sprinkles (for fun.)

I like Orgain because their protein powders are vegan, they’re stevia sweetened, and pretty dang delicious. The combo of the coconut flakes, and vanilla bean flavored protein powder make a cake batter taste that is just unreal. It tastes too good to be good for you.

So no matter if you’re looking for a pre/post-workout treat or just a mid-day snack that will fuel you up, these little protein balls are the perfect snack to reach for. Being healthy doesn’t have to taste like kale and quinoa all the time. Sometimes health can involve sprinkles and indulgences. Do health on your own terms!

Instructions

Add coconut flakes to a food processor and pulse a few times until it is in very small pieces.

Add all other ingredients to the food processor, excluding the sprinkles, and pulse on high until the batter becomes wet and thick and sticks together.

Transfer the "batter" to a small bowl and add the sprinkles. Use your hands to mix the sprinkles in to the batter.

Use your hands to form the "batter" into 6-8 small balls and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before eating.

EAT UP.

Recipe Notes

(Store the balls in the fridge, but know that the longer they chill, the harder they will be because of the coconut oil. So you may want to let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before eating them. )

Self-care Sunday is a THING now. It’s cool to take a bath and get your nails done and clean your house and meal prep. It’s the hip thing to do. I think it’s great that self-care is coming to the forefront of the health world. It’s a well needed switch.

But I want to take a minute to remind you that self-care is a lifestyle, not a buzzword, and it shouldn’t be secluded to Sunday’s. Self care should factor into each and every day of your life. It’s part of how we achieve real, unadulterated happiness in this life. It can’t be a flash in a pan. You have to prioritize yourself.

I’ve been learning this lesson anew this week. Without realizing, I had let my self-care practices slip away and replaced them with a running to-do list in my brain. I was tired, sun-deprived, and life-deprived. When I boarded the plane for Denver last week, I was nearly comatose. I was numb to my own needs.

Luckily for me, I got a few free days, with no work and lots of sunshine. I basked outside and fit in a workout or two. I ate as many greens as I could. I reminded myself of what LIVING felt like. And, slowly, I felt the to-do list melt away.

You see, being human is something that happens to us each and every day. We don’t get to skip a day. We don’t get to take a day off from our humanness. That means that self-care should also be apart of our everyday routine. Maybe that means you develop a better morning routine , or maybe it means you meditate, or maybe it means you make a indulgent, healthy treat like these cake batter protein balls. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you do it.

It’s very easy to disconnect from your life and let each moment become a running to-do list. It’s easy to lose touch with the LIVING part of your life. It’s easy to become numb.

It’s much harder work to remain engaged. It’s much harder to listen to your body/heart and give it what it needs in the midst of this busy world. But that is why self-care exists. That’s why it is cool. That’s why it deserves not just one day, but a whole lifetime. xo.